Motherhood

Happy Mother's Day!

Even though I'm not living the life I expected, it's God's good and perfect plan for me. At times, I still get tired, overwhelmed and frustrated by my lot in life, but I'm still blessed. I'm especially thankful for the blessing of my sons. It's amazing to observe glimpses of me and flashes of Kent in each of them. They encourage me to persevere through life while making it interesting and fun. They truly are gifts from God!

The Sentimental Swing Set

The swing set that Kent built (the weekend before our trial with cancer started) traveled well from Indiana to Nebraska and the boys are still getting a lot of use out of it.

Spring is here!

The first day of spring brought weather nice enough for the boys to shoot hoops in our driveway.

After baseball, basketball is the boys' favorite sport. J was a starter for his school's 3rd and 4th grade team this year and is looking forward to camp this summer. 

E and N have been learning the fundamentals of the game through a six week program at our local YMCA and are looking forward to playing on the same 1st and 2nd grade team next year through a league hosted by a local church.

N was goofing around here and actually made the shot!

What a great first day of spring!

The Boys & Their Fort

The boys have been working on this fort for awhile now. A few of the logs were already there. Now that J can drive the Ranger, they used the bed of it to move some of the logs there and they pulled, pushed and carried the rest of them. They've spent hours working on it and, of course, playing in and around it!

It's harvest time!

The boys had fun taking turns riding in the combine to harvest corn on their grandpa's farm today.

Pumpkin Picking

We went to Helgoth's Pumpkin Patch today where the boys had fun going on a hayride to pick their own pumpkins.

A Lot of Apples

We arrived at the apple orchard this afternoon too late to pick our own, so we bought pre-bagged ones instead. That's 50 pounds of Jonagold and Jonathan apples to peel, slice and bag to freeze for cobblers, crisps, pies and tarts!

Muffins with Mom

It was Donuts with Dad & Muffins with Mom at the boys' school this morning. There was a similar event last year at their previous school, but it was just for dads. Thankfully, their grandpas went with them, but it wasn't the same as having a dad there. I was glad to be included this year, so they weren't excluded. I enjoyed eating breakfast with them (and even some of their friends and their parents) in the cafeteria before they started their school day.

Blueberry Pickin'

E and N had fun picking blueberries at Zylstra's Blueberry Farm today. It was really hot and humid and there were lots of mosquitoes, but we still picked 10 pounds. We're looking forward to making and eating blueberry coffee cake, pancakes, jam, smoothies and popsicles.

Half-Way Home

We didn't caravan home from Nebraska with anyone, so we stopped half-way in Iowa to visit my sister and her family. The boys had fun with their cousins splashing around at their small town's pool. We were even able to watch their church's Vacation Bible School program. It was a short but fun visit!

The Farm

We've been in Nebraska at my in-laws' farm with lots of family for the last week where the boys have had fun traipsing around with grandpa looking for work to be done. They've become really good at spotting and digging up musk thistles (or carduus nutans), an invasive weed, in the pastures. J can even drive everyone around on the Polaris Ranger for this task. The boys had fun taking a break from farm work to play with their first, second and third cousins but, as usual, were anxious to return to the farm for their favorite pastime of riding and driving tractors. J even learned how to drive the '62 Ford 2000 which is a nostalgic tractor at this family farm.

It's Belle's first time at the farm and she has had fun here too. She likes jumping in and out of the cattle tank to cool down . . . well, except when the cattle are in the corral. She keeps her distance from them and barks a lot. Most of all though, she likes the fresh air and wide open space.

She has been just as tuckered out as the boys at the end of each day!

A Famous Couple of Tractors

Three of the family tractors were in a 4th of July parade today. In line with the Famous Couples theme, our entry was A Famous Couple of Tractors: Henry Ford and Minnie Moline, so my nephew drove the the '51 8N Ford and my father-in-law drove the '57 Minneapolis Moline 335.

I led them with the '58 MM 5 Star pulling a wagon full of family which won first place!



This is the third year in a row we've been in this parade. It's a lot of fun!

A Classic & its Spin-off

I finished reading Kent's copy of Oswald Chambers's classic and best selling one year devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, today. These daily entries have challenged me to truly give my utmost to His highest. There's even a child-friendly version of the book, Jesus Wants All of Me, by Phil Smouse. Check them out!

Let's hit the road!

Our truck is tuned up, gased up and packed up for a roadtrip. Nebraska, here we come!

Kent's .22 Rifle

J and his cousin had fun shooting Kent's .22 at our church's annual rifle shoot this morning. It's been eight months since J shot this gun, but he remembered how to load, aim and shoot it. Kent would be so proud of him!

Pickin' Strawberries

The boys and their cousin had fun picking strawberries at Johnson's Strawberry Farm this morning. Even though it's their third and final week for U-Pick this season, we picked and filled four buckets full of red ripe ones. We're looking forward to making and eating homemade strawberry jam and/or jelly, pie and ice cream.

A Fun Fishin' Hole

This lil' fisherman caught this Bluegill with a grown-up rod and reel from my dad's pond today. The boys and my dad caught lots of Bass and even a Catfish, but N was the only one to catch a Bluegill . . . twice!

Let summer vacation begin!

The boys have spent a lot of their first week of summer vacation in this 12 x 36 Intex Easy Set Pool. I'm killing some grass in the back yard that Kent worked so hard on to look nice, but it's keeping us at home and cool. I can even get in it. Now, we just have to keep Belle out of it!

On your mark, get set, go!

It was an overcast morning in Chicago, but, despite this, it was great weather for the American Brain Tumor Association's 5th annual Path to Progress 5K walk/strut/run.

I met some survivors and caregivers with amazing stories as well as family and friends of those that have lost their battle. Also, after a few years of communicating primarily through YASG, a message board for brain cancer . . . specifically glioblastoma multiforme (also known as GBM IV or Stage 4), and now Facebook, I met two ladies from Texas and Virginia that lost their husbands and another lady from Iowa that lost her sister. We actually spent the afternoon and evening together which was a time of tears and laughter. No one understands the trial of brain cancer and the grief of losing someone to it like those who have traveled the same road, so it was a healthy part of our healing process.

This year's event was the largest and most successful yet with over 6,000 runners, strutters and walkers, volunteers and supporters raising over $750,000 for research to treat, prevent and cure brain tumors. My team, Hearts for Heads, contributed over $3,600.

God blessed this event and me in many ways and it was a privilege to participate in such a worthy cause. Thank you to those of you that participated with me by running, strutting or walking, donating and praying. I look forward to doing this in memory of Kent and others again next year!

Mother's Day

I'm overwhelmed with my life these days. Mothering my three sons in particular is challenging, because my parenting partner isn't here anymore. Most of my days are long and exhausting, because there simply isn't enough time to get everything checked off of my list of things to do which leaves me constantly seeking balance in what I do for my boys with what I do with them. It can be frustrating! Despite this though, I'm thankful for the privilege to be their mother. They're gifts! Even though it's bittersweet sometimes, the blessing of mothering them has made widowhood a little easier to endure, because they encourage me to persevere through life while making it interesting and fun.